The Pirates were willing to take a sizable risk with their first pick in the MLB Draft to fill a need in the organization.
They selected Shane Baz, a 17-year-old right-handed high school pitcher from Cypress, Texas, with the 12th overall pick in the draft on Monday night, despite Baz stating previously that it would take the right "opportunity" for him to not pursue a collegiate career at TCU.
Baz, who signed a letter of intent with TCU in November, is the first pitcher the Pirates have selected in the first round since 2012, when they drafted and failed to sign Mark Appel from Stanford after using the No. 8 overall pick on him. Appel chose to return to school his senior season and was drafted No. 1 overall in 2013.
The Pirates are hoping that's not the case here.
"That’s not really what I’m thinking about right now," Baz said Monday night when asked if he planned to sign with the Pirates or enroll at TCU. "I was just selected by the Pirates. I’ll think about that another time."
Neal Huntington admitted there is a risk the Pirates took in selecting Baz, but area scouts and front office officials spoke to the pitcher and remain "confident" he will join the organization. If he does not, the Pirates will receive the No. 13 overall pick in next year's draft as compensation.
"Our guys do a terrific job of getting to know the player; the expectations, the interest, but we don’t always get them signed," Huntington said in a conference call. "That is a challenge. We’ve run into that situation a few times in the past. We felt that this player was the best pick for this organization at this point in time. We felt we had a legitimate chance to have him join the Pirates, but we also recognize there is a risk that it might not get done."
The Pirates used their second pick Monday at No. 42 overall on 6-foot-2 right-handed pitcher Steven Jennings of DeKalb County High School in Smithville, Tenn, and chose outfielder Cal Mitchell of Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego, Calif., at No. 50 overall.
They finished the first day by grabbing another high school outfielder, Connor Uselton from Oklahoma City, Okla., at No. 72.
Baz, who is listed at 6-foot-3, 205-pounds and was dominant at Concordia Lutheran High School in Tomball, Texas, fits the mold of a pitcher that every organization targets early in the draft. He has a fastball that has reportedly touched 99 mph and averages 93-96, as well as an excellent curveball and slider.
He began throwing the slider last summer and it was a weapon that helped him post an ERA of 0.96 as a senior with 96 strikeouts. Baz also played third base and outfield in high school, and batted .431 as a high school senior in 2017.
"He’s a really, really competitive pitcher, scouting director Joe DelliCarri said. "We talked about the stuff being plus or positive across the board. We believe in Shane’s background, how he competes. His family, how he represents himself. … I do think there was some connection there with our organization from his past experiences."
Pitcher Shane Baz (@thewizardofbaz) from Concordia Lutheran in Tomball goes to the Pirates with the 12th pick in 1st round of the MLB Draft pic.twitter.com/QKmezRz3Vk
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) June 13, 2017
Mitchell hit .369 with six doubles, 11 home runs and 34 RBI in 34 games as a senior at Rancho Bernardo High School.